2010

Last week we had a chance to visit one of our favorite cities, Denver, to spend some quality time with our distributor and dine at a few restaurants who are great supporters of Labor Wines.

One of the first restaurants in Colorado ever to pour Labor was Coohill’s, located in LoDo in Downtown Denver. They have been a fantastic supporter ever since, so we decided to get a group together from our Colorado Distributor, Trinity Fine Wines and enjoy some early evening appetizers while tasting our wines. This is a great group that truly supports our vision and is dedicated to sharing our wine throughout the state. We started by pouring our 2012 Riesling, with its notes of petrol, gravenstein apple and Meyer lemon, it was a perfect foil for the charcuterie, cerignola olives and toasted nuts.

Moving on to our Pinot Noir, we did a side by side tasting with our 2010 and 2011 wines – showcasing the differences in each vintage while still keeping with our house style. The 2010 was a very cool vintage with reduced yields, resulting in a more Burgundian style wine and the 2011 is more fruit forward and expressive right out of the bottle. The group was split on which vintage was their favorite, but all agreed they could taste the quality and better than expected juice for the price; a fantastic value overall.

Later in the trip, we were able to go by the newest supporter of Labor, dining at Work & Class in the fast emerging Larimer Warehouse District neighborhood, located on Larimer & 25th between Downtown and Five Points. This is a relatively new restaurant that is quite small, but dedicated to doing everything from scratch and in keeping with the farm to table theme that has taken hold amongst Denver restaurants. I must tell you, we had a FANTASTIC experience overall, sitting at the Kitchen Bar watching the cooks create meals in front of us resulting in delicious flavors and a wonderful evening. We paired a variety of their dishes with our 2012 Riesling, which was a great pairing for everything from their Red Chile Braised Pork to their Jerk Rotisserie Chicken to their Green Chile Mac n’ Cheese.

Denver has always had a special place with us and this trip furthered that feeling. Looking forward to being back at 5,280 soon enough and sharing more Labor Wines with them!

And remember, if you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

One of our favorite cities where you can find Labor Wines is New York City. There are so many reasons why this is the case but for me personally, I spent my childhood years growing up in New Jersey, always going to the ‘City’ for dinners, events and gatherings. Even more so, we have had the pleasure of having our wines there since the initial 2009 vintage and each month we’re getting a better presence in NYC through our distributor, RAD Grapes. When the opportunity was presented for me to host a wine dinner at Sarabeth’s Restaurant in Tribeca, I jumped at the chance!

One of my dear friends, Angela ‘Mini’ Caudle, serves as general manager and has been a very loyal supporter of Labor Wines since the beginning. She was thrilled to have us come to NYC for this occasion and visit her restaurant. In working together, we were able to pair three of our wines with 4 courses from Sarabeth’s culinary team. The evening’s menu is below, but I can tell you not only was it delicious, but the wines were a perfect pairing for each course. We were able to feature our 2011 Pinot Blanc, the 2012 Riesling and our 2011 Pinot Noir. We held the dinner on Tuesday, June 4; traditionally a quieter evening for the restaurant, but with our event, it definitely brought a buzz in that night.

The dinner was a smashing success with over 50 people attending! I had the pleasure to welcome well over 35 guests who were friends of Labor and contacts that we have known which made the evening extra special. I can’t thank enough each and every one who came out to support us on this weeknight.

The event would not have happened without the amazing guidance and support courtesy of Mini Caudle, their General Manager who is not only a fantastic industry professional, but an amazing person. I can’t thank her enough for her support for Labor Wines and dedication to what we do; allowing us to be a part of her restaurant on their wine list and host this wine dinner. In addition, her staff was fantastic; the service was impeccable and the execution by their culinary team was wonderful.

I can’t wait to return soon and hopefully host a second dinner. We will be sure to keep everyone posted well in advance. And remember, if you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

Well friends, a few days ago we were notified that a wine writer and reviewer in Memphis, Tennessee – Frederic Koppel of BiggerThanYourHead.net, had a chance to sample our Pinot Noirs from the 2009 & 2010 vintages. Knowing that we have distribution in his city and Memphis has an educated wine population and culture, we were very curious to hear what he had to say. Let me tell you, his review was fantastic!

I’ve attached a link to his post on the wines here, but to give you a brief idea, on the 2009 he says,

“In the mouth, the wine is a finely shaped amalgam of lightly sanded woody spices, dusty graphite, elusive tannins and clean, vibrant acidity, all working in concord with delicately spiced and macerated black and red fruit flavors. The finish is well-knit, sinewy, spicy.”

On the 2010, he notes,

“The ’10 is a bit spicier than the ’09, but it maintains, at all costs, a spirit of spareness and elegance that makes it easy to drink for its winsome fruity qualities yet demanding for its dry, rigorous character.”

As well, Mr. Koeppel rated both wines “excellent!” This is something that we are thrilled to share with each of you and a very happy day for us at Labor Wines as well. Stay tuned for the upcoming Spring release of our 2011 Pinot Noir and a cool surprise on the white wine front as well!

If you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

With the cooling temperatures around the country (well, for the most part), craziness in weather and storms (our hearts and thoughts go out to our East Coast friends as they recover) and sudden inundation of the holidays, we wanted to bring you some cheer and updates from Labor Wines.

As many of you know this past Sunday, the 4th, we held our first Labor Wines & Local Swine dinner for the Sunday Italian Feast, held at Nove Italiano restaurant at The Palms in Las Vegas. We were asked by our good friend, Chef Geno Bernardo to pair up on this event, with the plan to host it quarterly moving forward at his restaurant and hopefully around the country together. Chef Geno tapped into his farm in Pahrump (45 minutes outside of Vegas) for the two pigs for the dinner and all of the vegetables; quite an accomplishment actually.

The evening started with a cocktail reception featuring the very versatile Bacardi Oakheart Rum (quite delicious, if I do say so) and appetizers all pork themed, including chicharrones with pork belly and bacon caramel corn. As we moved guests into the dining room, after an introduction by Chef Geno, Rachel Wenman of the N9NE Group (owner of the restaurant) and myself, we started the 4-course feast, culminating in the slicing and presentation of the two pigs; one done in a Porchetta style, stuffed with farro and cous cous, the other which was roasted. As a finale, Geno led guests into the restaurant’s private dining room, where he unveiled the great porkiness culmination of desserts including chocolate covered bacon, bacon brittle, bacon cupcakes and bacon chocolate chip cookies.

The night was a hit! We had a wonderful collection of guests join us to kick off the inaugural event and starting making plans to host the second one. Take a look here for some photos of the event, courtesy of SpyOnVegas.com and here for photos courtesy of the N9NE Group.

We can’t wait to do it again and have a chance to embrace the Winter season with our wines and local swine. Stay tuned and watch out for upcoming details.

Additionally, we are almost to the end of our current vintages, anticipating a sell-out of the wines extremely soon. If you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on these wines, I have a few select cases that I’ve being saving for our friends. As well, as surprise, we discovered a few cases in our warehouse of our 1st release, the 2009 Pinot Noir and I’m making them available for sale! These are the last few cases, so if you’d like to have any of the wine from our inaugural vintage, let me know and I can make it happen for you.

And, to keep you in the loop, we’re going to have a few surprises upcoming as we enter into 2013 that we hope to share with you soon. We can’t thank each and every one of you for your support and friendship, as Labor Wines continues to grow each and every day.

If you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

I had the pleasure of returning to Oregon last week for a few days to work, donate some time for the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) and visit our ‘sleeping’ grapes. IPNC is a three-day event, famous around the globe, as a mecca for lovers of Pinot Noir and northwest cuisine. During the weekend, world-renowned winemakers, northwest chefs, esteemed media, epicures and wine lovers gather in McMinnville, Oregon, for time exploring Pinot Noir, savoring unforgettable meals, and learning and celebrating with luminaries of the food and wine world. I had the pleasure of being invited to work with the great folks at Sokol Blosser on a few events and help out overall. I viewed participating and volunteering at this experience as an honor, especially since we were able to speak about Labor Wines, our first real introduction to many of these wonderful folks, with the blessing of our amazing friends at Sokol Blosser.
Once I arrived, I headed straight to Coffee People inside the Portland Airport for my customary Cafe Americano . I don’t know what it is, but every time I fly into the PDX airport, I have to stop and get a shot of caffeine from this Oregon roaster.

I then headed off to the wine country, driving straight to Sokol Blosser and headed to the IPNC pre-kickoff dinner. Setup in the Sokol Blosser courtyard, with plenty of their wines being shared, there was a collection of small purveyors present to share their wares to the attendees (wine writers, friends of SB and guests overall) including Michael Kelly Brown (MKB), Director of Marketing for Sokol Blosser shucking oysters to order and his buddy Al grilling some on the BBQ. To their right was Eric Ferguson with Fino In Fondo, showing off 4 of their different charcuterie cuts and then Scott Ketterman and his wife of Crown Paella were creating a paella extravaganza with a gigantic Paella pan.

All throughout, Sokol Blosser was pouring their 2011 Rose of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and three vintages (’07, ’08 & ’09) of Pinot Noir. Later in the evening, a collection of 2009 Pinot Noir infused chocolate truffles by Moonstruck Chocolates were brought out, a perfectly sweet finish to a lovely evening.

On Friday, I started the day at one of my favorite wine country food haunts, Community Plate. This restaurant is dedicated to the local area and wine country, purchasing and serving products from no further than 100 miles away while being as sustainable as possible. I visited for my mandatory Hazelnut Milk Latte, a true treat and so delicious! The featured dish that morning happened to be a decadent Dungeness crab and herb scramble which I had complemented by a fantastically fresh greens salad. Absolutely perfect!

Following a quick visit to our wine storage facility, I was grabbed by MKB and taken to the IPNC kickoff luncheon, a true honor to attend! Lunch was held outside on the green Oak Grove at Linfield College, on a beautiful Oregon summer day. While the food was delicious, a Dungeness crab salad with gooseberries and picked cucumbers then a wonderful collection on a antipasti plate, the real star was the continuous parade of Pinot Noir that kept hitting our table. I was floored by this experience, running into countless stars of Oregon wine making and being able to enjoy the day.

I next headed off to the hills of the Yamhill-Carlton District for a visit to our winemaker and to taste out our 2011 Pinot Noir. Mind you this wine is nowhere close to ready, as it is not even in bottle yet, so we had the pleasure of enjoying a barrel sample. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM! This vintage was a curious one as it was cool/cold (reminiscent of the 2010) until the last month of harvest when temperatures warmed up to finish the wines with a great balance of acid to sugar. The 2011 will be our third Pinot Noir vintage for Labor Wines and it keeps getting better and better! Our wines are made for you to enjoy now, but if you’d like to age them, please feel free! I truly believe that you will be very happy with the 2011.

Leaving the winery I stopped into our friends over at Anam Cara Cellars for a quick hello and visit. If you haven’t tasted their juice yet you are truly missing out! After this stop, I headed back into Dundee to see our buddy Chris Cullina at Argyle Winery, who let me know he had a surprise for me; there was a back room blind tasting of Grower Champagne going on and he invited me to join. Um, yes! Wow, wow and wow, what a special and unexpected treat.

Heading back up valley, I visited with my dear friend Margaret Stewart of Chehalem Wines and some of her friends for a glass of wine on the patio and a touch of downtime. This was a great idea and much needed. Then, it was off to The Allison – the finest hotel in the valley, a true 4-star property. Walking into Jory restaurant, I ran smack into Pam Walden, a wonderful woman and also the owner of Daedalus Cellars. We were able to catch up for a bit before one of my favorite people in wine, Tahmiene Momtazi of Maysara Winery, showed up. We all sat together, along with some other friends and had a great night catching up.

On Saturday morning, after caffeinating at the Red Hills Market, I ventured back to Sokol Blosser to help setup the IPNC seminar, tasting and luncheon. Guests were welcomed with the 2011 Sokol Blosser Rose of Pinot Noir to enjoy while they were led on a guided tour of the property by Alex Sokol Blosser himself (Sokol Blosser’s Co-President). Joining Alex for this experience and seminar were Josh Bergstrom of Bergstrom Wines, Thierry Huber of Domaine Huber Verdereau(of Volnay) and Peter Rosback of Sineann.

Guests were treated to a delightful, seasonal wine-country lunch by Chef Paul Bachand of Recipe Restaurant in Newberg, with the menu including:

Wines that were sampled during the luncheon included the Sokol Blosser Rose of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris & 2008 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, the Bergstrom Wines Bergstrom Vineyard 2009, the Domaine Huber Verdereau 2010 Pommard and the Sineann McGinlay’s Vineyard Marlborough. To finish the meal and pair with dessert, guests had the pleasure of enjoying the Sokol Blosser 2009 White Riesling, a forced Ice wine. WOW.

After wrapping up the lunch and helping to clean up, I decided to do a round of speed tastings over at:

Durant – better known as growers, they just opened a gorgeous tasting room.

White Rose – gorgeous views, rich and full Pinot Noirs that have gotten some great scores.

DePont Cellars – a true treat. Wonderful Melon in the muscadet style and a killer rose.

Stoller – finally got a chance to taste their wines in property and it was fun. Some surprises were their Tempranillo, Syrah & Pinot Noir blend, a bargain at $19 a bottle and a single block Pinot Noir.

After a quick recharge, it was off to my friends, Scott and Courtney for some homemade margaritas; a must in wine country, especially after a long day of wine tasting. Then, a gorgeous Oregon sunset before a chance to sample a bottle I was gifted, the 2001 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir – which was delicious, with at least another 10-15 years it can age. The capper on the evening was then pulled out, Soter 1997 Brut Rose an intense sparkling wine that is just starting to show it’s age.

On Sunday morning I had a chance to catch up with my buddy Bill Hanson of Libra Wines for a little breakfast and conversation. Bill and I go back a few years, so it’s always nice when we can catch up to talk wine and life. This morning was no different and it was a ton if fun. Before hitting the road back to PDX, I stopped into the Daedelus Cellars tasting room for a few quick sips. Nothing but delicious, this was a nice treat to enjoy.

Making it to Portland, we ventured to Pok Pok Noi, another great restaurant by Andy Ricker, the best Thai street food purveyor we currently have in the states. Today, did not disappoint, with the below dishes shared for the table, while enjoying a spot on their back patio:

Venturing next to the Pearl District in the city, my favorite neighborhood in Portland by the way, we hit Deschutes Breweryto try out their Gluten Free Pale Ale. I’m glad I had a chance to try this beer, a little sweeter than I would have preferred but good nonetheless. Then, we popped over to The Parlor, a new New Orleans themed restaurant/oyster bar for a quick beverage and some delicious oysters. Before hitting the road, I had to visit Clyde Common, my favorite bar in Portland, who has one of the best cocktail programs in the entire country. Sipping on a Ramazotti digestif, with house made ginger beer back, it couldn’t have gotten much better.

I can truly say my heart is in Oregon, especially after this trip. It’s not cliche but 100% true. Can’t wait to be back soon.

If you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

With Memorial Day Weekend just days away, I wanted to take a moment to let you all know about some pretty cool events coming up for us here at Labor Wines.

This Saturday, May 26 we will be holding our 1st ever Las Vegas tasting! The event is FREE and all over the age of 21 are welcome to attend. Corey will be pouring our newest vintage of 2010 Pinot Noir at Marche Bacchus from 11:00am until 1:00pm (or until the wine runs out!), who’s thirsty? For those of you that have not been to Marche Bacchus before, it is a very cool wine shop and restaurant in the Lakes run by very good friends of ours, Jeff & Rhonda Wyatt.

We hope you are able to join us!

The next event coming up is going to be on Friday, June 1 at the Hostile Grape, at the M Resort in conjunction with Sonny and Chris from Rock n’ Roll Wine. We’ll be pouring both wines complimentary from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, then the wines will be available by the glass for the rest of the night during the live music performances. And, as a reminder, this is also a 21 and over event, so please leave the kids at home. Sonny and Chris of Rock n’ Roll Wine are great guys and longtime supporters – we’ve been fans of theirs and their events here in Las Vegas for years, so please come down and support!

Looking forward to seeing you at one or both tastings if you can make it and as always, thank you all for your constant support and love of wine!

If you have a story, pictures enjoying Labor or would like to place an order, feel free and share with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

It’s time for some wine! After selling out of our first vintage (2009 Pinot Noir) extremely quickly, to which we can’t thank each and every one of you enough, we are thrilled to announce the release of TWO wines – both from the Willamette Valley. Our first white wine, the 2011 Pinot Blanc, is now ready for you to taste and try, and our 2010 Pinot Noir, has just been labeled and is jumping out of the bottle!

The Pinot Blanc is a bright, flavorful white – indicative of the vintage, with great balanced acids and flavors of lemon and Granny Smith apple, along with litchi and Asian pear. All of the fruit comes from the Yamhill Carlton and Chehalem Mountains AVA’s and we believe that this varietal is a natural pairing for its sibling, Pinot Noir, and flavor-wise is a great complement. The Pinot Blanc is a great wine to pair with any type of cuisine as it is extremely versatile, especially Asian flavors as it cuts through the spice or just to sip while on your patio in the backyard. This wine is available to you at $16.00 a bottle, $192.00 a case, plus shipping.

Our Pinot Noir is an extremely balanced wine from the 2010 harvest, with lower sugars and structured acid. The nose has a slight smokiness to it with red and dark fruits coming through the palate, finishing with some chocolate and plum. Serve with oysters, roast chicken and halibut, or just have a glass with friends. The Pinot Noir is $25.00 a bottle, $300.00 a case plus shipping.

The wines are now available for you to purchase and can be shipped starting on Tuesday, April 8th. Feel free to email, call or contact me directly so I can get your order together for you!

As always, thank you for your support and friendship during our journey of Labor Wines. Also, we’d love to hear from you – please share your experiences, pictures and adventures with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.

Hello friends! I hope that everyone is shaking off the Winter blues and that you can feel Spring coming right around the corner. Here at Labor Wines we are excited to tell you about our newest releases and yet another first!

This week our 2011 Pinot Blanc is going into the bottle! This is going to be the first white wine from Labor and we’re only producing 112 cases. We wanted to keep it small for the first vintage and really focus upon the quality for each of you to enjoy. For those of you unfamiliar with Pinot Blanc, it is an Alsatian grape varietal that, in Oregon, is best known as a balanced wine with good acid, straight forward as a pairing for the table or by the glass. The vineyards we sourced from are all located in the Willamette Valley, coming from the Yamhill Carlton District and Chehalem Mountains AVA’s. We are hoping to release the wine at the beginning of April and it is going to go quick, so make sure you reserve your case today!

Additionally, the 2nd vintage of our Pinot Noir, the 2010, is being labeled at the beginning of April and will be ready mid-April/beginning of May for you to enjoy. This wine comes from a smaller harvest with lower yields than 2009, showing more red fruit qualities with higher acids and lower sugars. While ready to drink right away, this is a vintage that will last for years to come and will welcome time in the cellar, if you’d like. Everyone I have spoken with in Oregon is excited for this vintage, since at the beginning the year started out extremely cool and then gave way to a gorgeous harvest. We are very happy to be able to share our 2010 with you – for those who haven’t tasted Labor Wines just yet, get ready!

Don’t forget, when you are enjoying a bottle of our wine, make sure to take a picture and share it with us on Facebook or via Twitter. As well, you can always email me directly, Corey@LaborWines.com or call on cell, 702.466.0987.